Friday, September 26, 2014

Full text: Motion to Support Inclusive HIV Prevention Strategies

This is the motion I motivated at tonight's GSA Carleton Council meeting. Passed no opposition 2 abstensions.

Whereas pharmaceutical companies
have successfully lobbied for proprietary PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis)
prescriptions (Truvada) to become available to all “gay men” on demand in the
state of New Jersey; and

Whereas provincial and federal HIV
prevention strategies are currently in formation; and

WhereasPrEP prescriptions have serious health side effects[1], and
their preventative capacity dramatically falls when just a single dose is
mis-administered. (The average PrEP prescription transmission reduction rate is
44%, compared to 92% under ideal circumstances); and

Whereas PrEP is prescribed for the
reduction in transmission of only 1 of the 2 known strains of HIV; and

Whereas the use of PrEP as a
widespread HIV prevention strategy, unlike condom use, does not promote health,
it promotes sero-negativity; and

Whereas the (American) AIDS
Healthcare Foundation has begun a campaign against the widespread prescription
of PrEP as an HIV prevention strategy; and

Whereas sex workers and the
recurring partners of HIV patients have heightened exposure risks to HIV; and

Whereas the prescription of PrEP
based on the identities of “gay men” is both homophobic and unscientific
because it conflates risk with an identities rather than behaviours; and

Whereas the GSA and CFS have
lobbied against this same unscientific homophobic policy motivation regarding
blood donation; therefore

Be it resolved that he GSA executive
write an open letter the federal and provincial Health Ministries with two
explicit recommendations:

1)Endorsement
of PrEP prescriptions on demand for sex workers and the recurring partners of
HIV patients

2)Opposition
to the prescription of PrEP for “gay men” on demand

Be it further resolved that the GSA
delegates to the next CFS-O meeting present motions mandating the CFS-O
leadership as well as encourage other member locals to write open letters to
the federal and provincial Health Ministries affirming the two listed
recommendations.